Higher Agricultural Productivity Research Articles

Revolutionizing plant health with machine learning for disease detection and diagnosis

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the detection and diagnosis of plant diseases has gained significant interest in modern agriculture. The appeal of AI arises from its ability to rapidly and precisely analyze extensive and complex information, allowing farmers and agricultural experts to quickly identify plant diseases. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the detection and diagnosis of plant diseases has gained significant attention in the world of agriculture and agronomy. By harnessing the power of AI to identify and diagnose plant diseases, it is expected that farmers and agricultural experts will have improved capabilities to tackle the challenges posed by these diseases. This will lead to increased effectiveness and efficiency, ultimately resulting in higher agricultural productivity and reduced losses caused by plant diseases. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the detection and diagnosis of plant diseases has resulted in significant benefits in the field of agriculture. By using AI technology, farmers and agricultural professionals can quickly and accurately identify illnesses affecting their crops. This allows for the prompt adoption of appropriate preventative and corrective actions, therefore reducing losses caused by plant diseases.

The abolition of People’s Communes and fertility decline in rural China

This study investigates the impact of the abolition of People’s Communes in the early 1980s on rural fertility in China. Exploiting the staggered implementation of agricultural decollectivization, we show that decollectivization led to a significant decline in rural fertility, independent of the impact of family planning policies. Counties with higher levels of egalitarianism during the commune period experienced a sharper fertility decline following decollectivization, indicating that the elimination of egalitarian income distribution is the key mechanism behind this fertility decline. We find no evidence supporting the alternative hypothesis that the fertility decline was due to increased opportunity costs of childbearing associated with higher agricultural productivity after decollectivization.

Effects of Terracing on Soil Aggregate Stability and Erodibility in Sloped Farmland in Black Soil (Mollisols) Region of China

Soil aggregates are important indicators of soil structure stability and quality. The black soil region of northeast China, known for its high agricultural productivity, faces significant challenges due to soil erosion. This study investigates the impact of terracing on the stability and erodibility characteristics of soil aggregates in sloped farmlands, which is crucial for this important agricultural area. Three research sites with the same basic management modes were selected along a latitudinal gradient, from the mid-temperate zone to the cold temperate zone, in the black soil region of northeast China. The Savinov method was used to analyze the differences in soil aggregate size distribution, stability characteristics, and soil erodibility between terraced and non-terraced slopes at each research site. The results showed that terracing increased the content of large soil aggregates (>0.25 mm) by 5.38–6.35%, with the increase becoming more pronounced from north to south. The improvement in soil structure varied by location and slope position, with the most significant improvement at the middle slope position. Terracing enhanced soil aggregate stability, reduced soil erodibility, and improved soil structure by increasing clay and soil organic matter (SOM) content and reducing soil bulk density (BD), promoting the conversion of small aggregates to large aggregates. Soil stability indicators such as water-stable aggregates (WSAs), mean weight diameter (MWD), and geometric mean diameter (GMD) were dominated by aggregates > 5 mm, while erodibility indicators such as fractal dimensions (Ds) and the soil erodibility factor (K values) were mainly influenced by aggregates < 0.25 mm. Terraces can improve the soil structure and stability of sloping farmland by increasing the content of large soil aggregates and enhancing overall soil quality. The benefits of these improvements increase with latitude. These findings provide critical insights for determining effective management practices for sloped farmlands in the black soil region under various site conditions. They offer scientific evidence for preventing soil erosion and improving soil quality, thus supporting the sustainable development strategy for protecting black soil and ensuring long-term agricultural productivity.

Experimental Assessment of Energy Potentials from Tea Wastes as a Source of Energy: A Case of Itona Tea Factory in Tanzania

Tea processing is an energy-intensive process. However, high agricultural productivity and subsequently the growth of the green revolution have been made possible only by a large amount of energy inputs, especially those from fossil fuels, wood fuels, and electricity. With recent price rise and scarcity of these fuels there has been a trend towards use of alternative energy sources such as waste (agricultural waste) to energy that could solve both energy and environment issues. Moreover, these energy resources have not been able to provide an economically viable solution for agricultural applications so long as they seem to contain amount of energy which can be source of energy to be used in various factories in rural areas through gasification process. A gasifier is normally fuel specific system and it is tailored around a fuel rather than the other way round. Hence, this paper presents an experimental assessment of energy potentials from tea wastes available at Itonaa Tea Factory for tea drying processes as important data for agricultural wastes. The experimental measurement of energy potential from tea wastes was done using bomb calorimeter, muffle furnace and energy balances to determine calorific value moisture content and energy potentials of tea waste respectively. The findings indicate that the combined energy potential of factory and garden tea waste was found to be 2.78x10<sup>8</sup>kWh, and corresponding electrical energy was estimated to be 2.78x10<sup>7</sup>kWh which is enough for tea drying process in tea manufacturing plant. The total energy used in the production of tea was discovered to be equal 3.5 - 7.5 kWh/kg of made tea. Thus, total energy consumption (4.5 kWh/kg of made tea) for processing of 9.6 x 10<sup>6</sup> kg of tea from 4.5 x 10<sup>3</sup> hectares of tea plantation in Mufindi for the period of 2021-2022 was 4.32x10<sup>7</sup> kWh. Thus, with the proper utilization of energy conversion technology of tea waste, part of the energy requirement in processing of tea could be met reducing environmental challenges associated with both wood fuel burning and tea waste disposal.

Trend analysis of water quality in the irrigation districts of southern Alberta, Canada

AbstractIrrigation is essential for high agricultural production and crop diversity in semi‐arid regions such as southern Alberta, Canada. Nearly 75% of Canada's irrigation takes place in Alberta's irrigation districts, making the management and maintenance of irrigation water quality highly important in this region. In this study, temporal water quality trend analysis was conducted on southern Alberta irrigation water from 2006 to 2023. The trends of 19 water quality parameters, including nutrients, salinity, physical characteristics, Escherichia coli, and pesticides, were evaluated at 74 sites. Of the total number of parameter‐by‐site tests (902) conducted, 36.5% had statistically significant decreasing trends, 1.3% had statistically significant increasing trends, and 62.2% had no trend. This indicates stability and improvement in water quality during the study period at the resolution of individual sites. Regional trend analysis revealed trends in 11 out of the 19 parameters tested: 9 decreased, 2 increased, and 8 exhibited no trend, which also indicated stable and improving water quality. Continued monitoring is important for areas and parameters showing increasing trends to guide mitigation action. This information can be used to focus water and land management decisions and direct resources to priority areas and parameters to ensure excellent quality irrigation water for all users.

Analysis of spatial patterns and influencing factors of farmland transfer in China based on ESDA-GeoDetector

Farmland transfer is a critical component in facilitating agricultural scale management and improving agricultural production efficiency. This study examines the spatial distribution of farmland transfer in China and identifies the factors influencing it, offering valuable guidance for advancing China’s farmland transfer practices. Through the application of mathematical statistics and GIS spatial analysis, the study investigates changes in spatial patterns related to the scale, rate, mode, and recipients of farmland transfer across China's 30 provinces from 2015 to 2020. Geographical detectors are also employed to identify the key factors influencing the extent and pace of farmland transfer. The study reveals that between 2015 and 2020, China's farmland transfer area increased from 29,789 to 37,638 million hectares. Provinces with abundant farmland resources generally experienced larger farmland transfers, while economically developed regions and major grain-producing areas saw higher rates of farmland transfers. The predominant mode of farmland transfer in China was leasing (subcontracting), accounting for over 80% of the total transferred area. Large-scale grain growers and family farms were significant participants in farmland transfers, acquiring approximately 60.1% of the transferred lands, followed by professional cooperatives (21.5%), enterprises (10.4%), and other entities (7.9%). Key factors influencing the farmland transfer area include the "regional farmland area", the "proportion of family farms supported by loans", and the "proportion of non-agricultural population", with explanatory powers of 0.663, 0.319, and 0.225, respectively. Notably, there is a substantial interaction between the "regional farmland area" and factors such as the "proportion of family farms supported by loans" and the "grain yield per unit area", with explanatory powers reaching 0.957 and 0.901, respectively. These findings offer valuable insights for promoting farmland transfer in agriculturally rich regions. Factors affecting the farmland transfer rate include "grain yield per unit area", "GDP per capita", and the "proportion of non-agricultural population", each with an explanatory power above 0.500. Moreover, their interactive explanatory powers with other indicators exceed 0.600, indicating that provinces with high agricultural productivity or economic development levels are more likely to undergo farmland transfer. The paper concludes by proposing strategies and recommendations to promote farmland transfer in both "large agricultural areas" and "metropolitan suburbs."

Microbial Engineering for a Greener Ecosystem and Agriculture: Recent Advances and Challenges

Tremendous increase in anthropogenic activities and natural disasters have created long term negative impacts to the crop productivity as well as on our ecosystem. In the debate regarding the ongoing ecosystem fluctuations, there is a need to explore an efficient, cost-effective, target-oriented and less manpower-based technologies for sustainable development. Microbial engineering provides a better solution for the growth of a healthy environment and higher agricultural productivity over the existing methods and resolved the challenges worldwide related to development of sustainable agriculture and greener ecosystems. In recent years, researchers are working on the development of different advanced microbial engineering strategies such as gene editing, CRISPR/Cas9, and RNAi to enhance the potential of microorganisms towards higher plant productivity and degradation of pollutants. The present review focused on the potential applications of genetically engineered microbial inoculants for sustainable agriculture and greener ecosystem development.

Harnessing the energy potential of rosehip wastes towards sustainable energy supply

Using renewable energy technologies comes to the forefront for sustainable energy, economy, and environmental management. In regions with high agricultural production, it is becoming increasingly important to contribute to sustainable energy production by using agricultural wastes as biomass. For this purpose, the evaluation of the energy potential and catalytic pyrolysis of rosehip seed (RS) and rosehip pomace (RP), which are considered the main wastes of rosehip, were investigated to obtain improved bio-oil. While C10+ hydrocarbons of alkane and alkene origin were mostly found in the composition of bio-oil, the highest ratio belongs to 50CL50RP650. Especially when only RS and RP were present, both the temperature of 650°C and the presence of catalyst were more effective in obtaining aliphatics. In the use of the blend, one of these parameters was sufficient and the volatile matter increased and fixed carbon decreased, especially as the RP ratio (70%) in the blend increased. The heating value (18.5–19 MJ/kg) and volatile matter (63–66%) of the wastes were high, while ash (0%) and moisture (2%-3%) contents were low, which is important in terms of energy potential. In the combustion profiles, the Tmax was generally higher for the blends.

Short-term effects of irrigation and nitrogen management on paddy soil carbon pools under deep placement of basal fertilizer nitrogen

Active soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions are major driving factors of soil fertility. Understanding the effects of water and fertilizer management on changes in active SOC fractions helps improve soil quality and maintain high agricultural productivity. We conducted a 3-year field experiment in Northeast China. In this experiment, natural soil (CKT) was used as a blank, and two irrigation regimes were established: conventional flooded irrigation (FI) and controlled irrigation (CI). Four nitrogen application levels were set for both irrigation regimes under deep placement of basal fertilizer N: Nd0 (0 kg ha–1), Nd (110 kg ha–1), Nd1 (99 kg ha–1), and Nd2 (88 kg ha–1). After 3 years, at similar N fertilizer application rate, the rice yield, total organic carbon (TOC), and active SOC fraction content of CI were higher under CI than FI. The growth rate of rice yield was 3.8% − 8.63% under CI than FI. Under CI, the rice yield, active SOC fractions contents and carbon pool management index (CPMI) did not decrease with decreasing N application rate but instead reached the highest level in the CNd1 treatment. Overall, CI with Nd1 treatment appears to be the best practice for improving soil fertility and crop productivity in Northeast China.

Agricultural production and biodiversity conservation: A typology of Swiss farmers’ land use patterns

Understanding farmers' land use behaviour is a prerequisite for designing effective policies that aim to protect and enhance biodiversity in agriculture. We develop a typology of Swiss farmers' land use patterns in terms of their agricultural production and biodiversity conservation. We contribute by adopting a comprehensive perspective encompassing not only EFAs (Ecological Focus Areas) but also non-EFAs. Relying on a sample of 2341 Swiss farm observations from the Farm Agri-Environmental and the Farm Accountancy Data Network, we conducted – for each agricultural region (plain, hill and mountain) – a K-means clustering to identify farmland use patterns. We considered four clustering variables, namely agricultural production intensity, the extent of a farm's participation in agri-environmental payment schemes and the impact of farm agricultural practices on the organismal biodiversity of 1) EFAs and 2) non-EFAs. The analysis reveals four distinct farmland use patterns beyond the classical dichotomy of low shares of EFAs and high agricultural production intensity versus high shares of EFAs and low agricultural production intensity. Three of the four land use patterns are similar across all agricultural regions. Our findings show that biodiversity enhancement is possible outside of EFA direct payment programmes. One cluster succeeded in exhibiting both a high agricultural production intensity and a high overall biodiversity score, which highlights that these dimensions are not mutually exclusive. The low or moderate use intensity of mineral fertilisers, pesticides and purchased feedstuffs in combination with a high use efficiency of these inputs seems to be the key to reconciling agricultural production and biodiversity conservation.

The Impact of Agricultural Productivity on Economic Growth in Africa

This study investigates the relationship between agricultural productivity and economic growth in five African countries: Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and South Africa. Secondary data from reputable sources are analyzed using statistical tests and regression models. The findings indicate that agriculture significantly contributes to Africa's economic growth. South Africa exhibits the highest agricultural productivity, followed by Morocco, Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania. However, despite their agricultural strengths, South Africa and Morocco have relatively lower contributions to economic growth due to other factors like low employment rates. Ghana and Kenya show comparable performance, while Tanzania lags behind despite experiencing economic growth and having a high employment rate. It is emphasized that economic growth is influenced by various factors beyond agriculture, and countries with high agricultural productivity should diversify their economies and address other determinants of growth. Policy measures to strengthen the agricultural sector and promote diversification are crucial for sustainable economic development in Africa.

Tobacco Transcription Factor NtWRKY70b Facilitates Leaf Senescence via Inducing ROS Accumulation and Impairing Hydrogen Sulfide Biosynthesis.

Leaf senescence is the terminal stage of leaf development, and its initiation and progression are closely controlled by the integration of a myriad of endogenous signals and environmental stimuli. It has been documented that WRKY transcription factors (TFs) play essential roles in regulating leaf senescence, yet the molecular mechanism of WRKY-mediated leaf senescence still lacks detailed elucidation in crop plants. In this study, we cloned and identified a tobacco WRKY TF gene, designated NtWRKY70b, acting as a positive regulator of natural leaf senescence. The expression profile analysis showed that NtWRKY70b transcript levels were induced by aging and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and downregulated upon hydrogen sulfide (H2S) treatment. The physiological and biochemical assays revealed that overexpression of NtWRKY70b (OE) clearly promoted leaf senescence, triggering increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased H2S content, while disruption of NtWRKY70b by chimeric repressor silencing technology (SRDX) significantly delayed the onset of leaf senescence, leading to a decreased accumulation of ROS and elevated concentration of H2S. The quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of various senescence-associated genes and ROS biosynthesis-related genes (NtRbohD and NtRbohE) were upregulated in OE lines, while the expression of H2S biosynthesis-related genes (NtDCD and NtCYSC1) were inhibited in OE lines. Furthermore, the Yeast one-hybrid analysis (Y1H) and dual luciferase assays showed that NtWRKY70b could directly upregulate the expression of an ROS biosynthesis-related gene (NtRbohD) and a chlorophyll degradation-related gene (NtPPH) by binding to their promoter sequences. Accordingly, these results indicated that NtWYKY70b directly activated the transcript levels of NtRbohD and NtPPH and repressed the expression of NtDCD and NtCYCS1, thereby promoting ROS accumulation and impairing the endogenous H2S production, and subsequently accelerating leaf aging. These observations improve our knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of WRKY TFs controlling leaf senescence and provide a novel method for ensuring high agricultural crop productivity via genetic manipulation of leaf senescence in crops.

The Interaction between Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and Grass Endophyte (Epichloë) on Host Plants: A Review.

In nature, plants frequently experience concurrent colonization with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and grass endophytes (Epichloë). These two fungi assist in mineral uptake and stress tolerance by the host. Despite the abundance of recent studies exploring the individual functions of these fungi in diverse ecosystems, research on the effects of the interaction between these two symbiotic fungi on the host, particularly in agricultural production and ecological conservation. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge regarding the interaction between AMF and grass endophytes and their synergistic effects on host plants in response to abiotic and biotic stress, while also outlining prospects for future research in this field. This knowledge not only enhances our comprehension of complex interaction effects between the two fungi, but also facilitates the optimal utilization of fungal resources, contributing to ecological construction and higher agricultural production.

Production Systems and Management Practices of Chicken Populations in Zambia

The study was carried out to describe the population, population dynamics, production systems and management practices of chicken types reared in Zambia, using the 2017/2018 livestock and aquaculture census data provided by the Zambia Statistics Agency and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. Data on the chicken types - Indigenous, Broiler and Layer, was analyzed for both quantitative and qualitative parameters. The population estimates for the chickens were 15,313,780, 6,078,694 and 742,981 for indigenous, broiler and layer, respectively. Flock dynamics could not be ascertained conclusively due to inadequate information. Chicken ownership was significantly skewed towards the male gender for broilers (67%) and layers (79%) while almost equal for the indigenous chickens. Indigenous chickens were more prominent in provinces with high agricultural production (Southern, Central, and Eastern at 51%). Broilers and Layers were more prominent in provinces with commercial centres (Copperbelt and Lusaka at 68% and 75% respectively). The main purpose of rearing indigenous chickens was mainly sales for income (66.1%) and home consumption (32.3%). The main production systems were found to be traditional for indigenous chickens (87%) and intensive for broiler and layer chickens (70.3% and 44%, respectively). The main feeding practices were free-range feeding (80.6%) and free-range with supplementation (17.4%) for indigenous chickens). Diseases notably, Newcastle was found to be debilitating and a great hindrance to livestock production and productivity. The data collection instrument will require fine-tuning to obtain more technical details on production and productivity and better estimate the population dynamics.

Enhancing Governance Performance in Sub-Saharan Africa Can Bolster Climate Mitigation and Food Security

The sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region has experienced substantial population growth over the past decades, accompanied by severe hunger and environmental degradation. Underperforming governance is a major driver of unsustainable agricultural production and land use in SSA. The impacts of governance performance on food security and the environment in SSA require better understanding by considering socioeconomic and biophysical dynamics. Using an agro-economic dynamic optimization model, we investigate the impacts of governance performance on land use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and food security in the SSA region by 2050. Our findings indicate that strong governance could lead to less deforestation, thus reducing GHG emissions in the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector. Strong governance could also improve food security, with higher agricultural productivity, lower food prices and food expenditure share, as well as higher self-sufficiency. These findings highlight that those efforts should extend beyond specific agricultural and environmental measures and promote integrated governance to achieve long-term synergies between food and environmental security in SSA.

Reducing nitrogen application by 20% under the condition of multiple cropping using green manure after wheat harvesting can mitigate carbon emission without sacrificing maize yield in arid areas

ContextAt the agro-ecosystem scale, a combination of green manure and chemical nitrogen fertilizer improves crop yield but also exacerbates soil CO2 emissions. However, it is unclear whether reducing nitrogen by reapplying green manure to fields can achieve high crop yields and improve carbon mitigation. ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of carbon emissions in maize fields under green manure reapplication combined with a reduction in nitrogen. MethodsA field experiment comprising five treatments (green manure reapplication combined with traditional nitrogen application (N100), green manure reapplication combined with a reduction in nitrogen of 10% (N90), green manure reapplication combined with a reduction in nitrogen of 20% (N80), green manure reapplication combined with a reduction in nitrogen of 30% (N70), and green manure reapplication combined with a reduction in nitrogen of 40% (N60)) was conducted at an arid oasis region in northwestern China from 2020 to 2022. This study investigated the effects of reducing nitrogen application while reapplying green manure to the field on maize grain yield, soil respiration rate, and carbon emission efficiency (CEE) and analyzed the relationship between soil respiration rate and soil temperature (Ts), soil water content (SWC), and crop biomass accumulation (BA). ResultsThe N80 treatment significantly reduced soil carbon emissions (CE) but did not reduce maize grain yield, and it showed a significant increase in CEE of 7.7% compared with the N100 treatment. In addition, this system can ensure no reduction in net primary production (NPP), net ecosystem production (NEP), and carbon sequestration (CS) potential compared with N100 and significantly improves the NPP/CE value. Soil temperature and crop biomass significantly correlated with soil respiration, which explained 68.4–72.9% and 84.4–88.8% of the seasonal variation of soil respiration, respectively. However, there was no correlation between soil moisture and soil respiration. ConclusionTherefore, reducing nitrogen application by 20% while multiple cropping with green manure application after wheat was a suitable nitrogen fertilizer management measure for improving carbon mitigation in arid areas without sacrificing maize yield. ImplicationsThe results of this study provide valuable insights into long-term agricultural management strategies for achieving high agricultural production and environmental friendliness.

Priority of Wind Energy in West Coast of Southern Thailand for Installing the Water Pumping Windmill System with Combining of Entropy Weight Method and TOPSIS

Wind energy potential or quality serve as the primary determinants influencing the decisions of Thai farmers regarding the installation of water-pumping windmills with heights ranging from 9 to 15 m and a cut-in wind speed requirement of 4 m/s, aimed at reducing their fuel costs. To introduce a simplified calculation method as one of their decision-making tools, the combined approach of the entropy weight method with TOPSIS has been introduced to assist them in prioritizing and assessing the wind quality in their respective areas. This study focuses on the western region of Southern Thailand, known for its high agricultural productivity. Initially, only 18 out of the 227 sub-districts with a minimum monthly wind speed exceeding 4 m/s were selected for thorough investigation. Subsequently, the entropy weight method was applied to the monthly wind speed data of these 18 chosen sub-districts to calculate their monthly weight values. These monthly weight values provide a quantifiable characterization of the wind quality in these specific sub-districts, revealing variations in wind quality between seasons, with superior quality during the summer season compared to the rainy season. Following the calculation of monthly weight values, the TOPSIS technique was applied to the wind data in conjunction with these monthly weight values, resulting in the determination of performance scores (Pi) for each of the 18 sub-districts. Pi values were found to vary from 0.0641 to 0.9006. In the final step of the analysis, these 18 sub-districts were ranked based on their respective Pi values, with the implication that sub-districts exhibiting higher Pi values are more suitable for the installation of water-pumping windmills with heights ranging from 9 to 15 m compared to those with lower Pi values.

Advancements in technology and innovation for sustainable agriculture: Understanding and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils

In recent decades, Technology and Innovation (TI) have shown tremendous potential for improving agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. However, the adoption and implementation of TI in the agricultural sector and its impact on the environment remain limited. To gain deeper insights into the significance of TI in enhancing agricultural productivity while maintaining environmental balance, this study investigates 21 agriculture-dependent Asian countries. Two machine learning techniques, LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator) and Elastic-Net, are employed to analyze the data, which is categorized into three regional groups: ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). The findings of this study highlight the heterogeneous nature of technology adoption and its environmental implications across the three country groups. ASEAN countries emerge as proactive adopters of relevant technologies, effectively enhancing agricultural production while simultaneously upholding environmental quality. Conversely, SAARC countries exhibit weaker technology adoption, leading to significant fluctuations in environmental quality, which in turn impact agricultural productivity. Notably, agricultural emissions of N2O (nitrous oxide) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) in SAARC countries show a positive association with agricultural production, while CH4 (methane) emissions have an adverse effect. In contrast, the study reveals a lack of evidence regarding technological adoption in agriculture among GCC countries. Surprisingly, higher agricultural productivity in these countries is correlated with increased N2O emissions. Moreover, the results indicate that deforestation and expansion of cropland contribute to increased agricultural production; however, this expansion is accompanied by higher emissions related to agricultural activities. This research represents a pioneering empirical analysis of the impact of TI and environmental emission gases on agricultural productivity in the three aforementioned country groups. It underscores the imperative of embracing relevant technologies to enhance agricultural output while concurrently ensuring environmental sustainability. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in formulating strategies to promote sustainable agriculture and technological advancement in the context of diverse regional dynamics.

Influence of access to extension services on milk productivity among smallholder dairy farmers in Njoro Sub-County, Nakuru County, Kenya

Inaccessibility to extension services by smallholder farmers remains one of the impediments to achieving high agricultural productivity and food security. Extension services play a critical role in information dissemination that can avert food insecurity and increase smallholder dairy farmers' incomes. However, access to extension services remains a significant challenge in developing countries. This study investigated the influence of access to extension services on milk productivity among smallholder dairy farmers in Njoro Sub-County, Nakuru County, Kenya. The study's target and accessible population was 17,000 smallholder dairy farmers. The study used simple random and proportionate sampling techniques to select study farmers. Nassiuma's formula generated a sample of 120 smallholder dairy farmers. The hypothesis underwent testing using simple linear regression. The regression results found a statistically significant influence between access to extension services and milk productivity at a 5% significance level (p < 0.05). Findings show that most smallholder dairy farmers accessed extension services through television, radio, neighbours, and friends. In contrast, the top animal husbandry practices that most farmers were interested in were parasite and disease control, breed selection, and feed preparation. The Government of Kenya mainly provided vaccination services, while the other veterinary services, including deworming, pregnancy and disease diagnosis, breed selection, and treatment, were dominated by private entities. The Government of Kenya should improve smallholder dairy farmers' access to extension services. The study recommends channeling agricultural information in all possible vernacular languages and Kiswahili, the national language, via television and radio platforms to reach all smallholder dairy cow farmers. Additionally, more emphasis should be on the importance of appropriate milking techniques and record-keeping among smallholder dairy farmers to help monitor their animals' health, feeding, breeding, and milk productivity.

A COMPARATIVE RELATION OF DISTINCT REFERENCE CROP EVAPOTRANSPIRATION MODELS FOR SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Water is one of the main limiting factors for achieving high productivity in agriculture. The hydric requirement of plants is fundamental for the dimensioning of the irrigation system and contributes to the better use of hydric resources. Moreover, the accurate computation of this element is essential for water management in agricultural systems. Nonetheless, due to the heterogeneity of different evapotranspiration estimation methods, the performance of its calculation can be considerably compromised. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to compare the methods for estimating reference evapotranspiration (ETo) by Benevides &amp; Lopes, Camargo, Hargreaves &amp; Samani, Jensen &amp; Haise, Linacre, Makkink, Penman, Priestley &amp; Taylor, Tanner &amp; Pelton, and Turc, with the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith standard method, to evaluate the performance and accuracy of equational models. Furthermore, data from an automatic weather station belonging to the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), located in Palmeira das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from January 1, 2020, to January 1, 2021, were used. Comparative statistical methods were utilized to express the accuracy of the models and indicate the most appropriate equations for the conditions of the selected location. Cluster analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were applied. For Palmeira das Missões, the model proposed by Hargreaves &amp; Samani indicated the best results and was characterized as the most appropriate alternative to estimate the ETo more accurately. The method indicated the most favorable results for R2 (0.9890), d (0.9253), and r (0.9944). Furthermore, cluster and PCA analyses expressed the behavior of relationships between different mathematical models and meteorological parameters in relation to the ETo determination.